Never heard of Cointelpro? No? It’s just the biggest undercover operation led by the FBI to monitor dissent in the 1970s. The FBI did this through psychological warfare, planting false reports in the media, harassment and assassinations.

On December 4th 1969 a select unit of 14 Chicago Police officers, on special assignment to Cook County State’s Attorney Edward Hanrahan, led a pre-dawn raid on a west side apartment that left Illinois Black Panther Party leaders Fred Hampton and Mark Clark dead. In March 1971 to try and uncover the truth the Citizen’s Commission broke into a small FBI office in Media Pennsylvania and appropriated over 1000 FBI documents exposing the operations.

Once in court, to prove the link between the FBI and its covert operations, the Judge, an ardent supporter of the FBI, exonerated the FBI and its Justice Department lawyers of any wrongdoing in suppressing the documents.This decision was then overturned by a trial judge and finally the evidence came out.

So why has nobody ever heard of it? Well it was upstaged by the Watergate Scandal. Was this planned or just taking advantage of an incredible coincidence? Or just a conspiracy theory? Media outlets all over the world bury news which they don’t want us to focus on. The fact that Watergate focused on the impeachment of a US President is more attractive and sensational. Of course it was important. But nobody was killed, and the Presidency continued. Whereas Cointelpro covertly and illegally tracked hundreds of people who were deemed to pose a threat to democracy.
As the man said: “When the press focuses on the sex lives of politicians, reach for your pocket, and see who’s pulling out your wallet…” In other words we are all trained to notice what is in front of us, but this is just a distraction from the main event.

Copyright Adrian Scott North London Counsellor Blog 2017
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Disclaimer:This weblog is the view of the writer and for general information only.
This article is designed to provoke argument and critique